Episode 61 notes: November into Advent

Hello there and welcome to Episode 61 of the Crafternoon Treats Podcast. Please subscribe to my channel and click the little bell to get notifications of all my new videos and episodes.

Timestamps for Episode 61

0 – 10.50 Introduction and chat

This is my first podcast recorded with my new studio lights. Thanks to my Patreon supporters I’ve been able to invest in a set of lights, a new microphone and a Mac Book Pro so that making videos and podcasts will be so much more efficient. Well, it will take a few months to pay off the Mac Book Pro but its great that I can have it now to edit videos wherever I want to be rather than stuck at my office desk.

But, as if it knew that I had got all this new stuff and felt its age, my old phone has finally died. The LGG4 had such a good camera and too great videos, even in dodgy light conditions. My current phone, a Galaxy S7 edge is nowhere near as good, hence the lighting set up. It will only record detail at the highest setting with floodlights! Oh the joys of podcasting.

Let me know how the quality is as you watch – its find on a smaller screen but I know quite a lot of you watch podcasts on your TV. Not sure how this will come across on a 50 inch screen!!

Thank you so much for all your comments on the last podcast – it was really interesting and quite moving to read through them all. There is a short vlog section at the end of this podcast with pictures and a few short videos that I took on a couple of walks recently. I find walking another great way to de=stress and clear my brain when ideas and worries just seem to set themselves on an endless loop. I’ve added a few of the comments but do go to the last episode and scroll down the comments – they are very uplifting.

10.50 to 17.50 Wendy’s simple scarf

Very unusually I’ve finished something that I hadn’t even started when I recorded the last podcast. I think I began the simple scarf from Wendy’s lovely book, the Summer Collection when I was waiting for the uploading process for Episode 60. What a super project – so fast and so relaxing. Just what I needed.

I’ve also been doing some decluttering and clearing out of things I don’t use or need all over the house but particularly in my studio, which was bugging me as it felt so chockablock full of ‘stuff’. I will never have a minimalist studio as I run an Etsy shop and have yarn stock as well as yarn stash, but I feel I’ve really made a difference. In 2019 one of my main goals is going to be to use a lot of my stash and make sure that I use more than I buy!

Making the simple scarf was a great start as I’ve used three balls of Rauma in the fingering weight, which was gifted to me by Emilie of the Arctic Knitting podcast. This is 100% Norwegian wool, in a fingering weight and Emilie had chosen some gorgeous pinks and purples. I combined them to make a colour block version of the scarf and made my own variations, including adding some beads to the ends.

While I was doing them, I made a short tutorial on my technique for my $6 per month Patrons. I have some giveaways and freebies this month and posted about them on Instagram as I promised. However, as my lovely admin for the Ravelry group pointed out, not everyone is on Instagram, so I will add some information on my blog for future months so Patrons can check in here to find out what’s on offer. The winners for the giveaways are chosen at random from all Patrons, you don’t have to comment or do anything, so the posts are just to let you know what you might win.

I’ll also be making my Desert Irony Poncho available to all patrons free of charge in December as a big thank you for your support. You can find the post on Friday 7 December.

17.50 to 28.09 Advent calendar minis

As its now officially Advent, the lovely people who bought my Advent calendars and others who’ve got Advent Calendars from other dyers will be starting to open their packages of mini skeins. I’ve had a quite a few questions about what you can do with mini skeins so I’ve put together a blog post with as many ideas as I could muster. As I’m writing the notes, I also realise the the Rubia Cowl would be an excellent knitted project for using up minis!

Read the blog post here

As I have some minis left I thought it would be fun to offer them in sets of 6 as Christmas selection boxes. These are in my Etsy shop now and, because I don’t want to put up spoiler photos for those of you who have got the Advent calendars, the info is in the written description. If you want to see the colourways before you buy please check out this link – If you don’t like secrets

I’ve also added some bargain sale items in the last couple of weeks. These are going fast but as of writing there are a few of the stash clearance items left, together with some of the packs of natural wools. These are at very large discounts – I’m aiming just to get them out there and on hooks and needles so that I can clear up my studio space for new yarn in 2019.

38.09 to 43.54 Other projects

I’ve been doing a bit of spinning but I’m not convinced about what I’ve produced yet…

I’ve also made a start on the simple cardigan – although I’m making it more for winter rather than in light and pastel spring colours. I’m using Stylecraft Life DK in the Cranberry mixtures colourway.

I’ve made only a small amount of progress with the Falls scarf and Rubia cowl. Crochet is definitely much faster than knitting but I am enjoying them both. The winners of the two complimentary patterns (the Falls scarf comes as part of Emma’s Autumn ebook) are below:

• Potter and Blook ebook Hookloopknits
• Rubia cowl by Maria of NinjaChickens Drewbean

I’ll contact you on Ravelry and pass your details onto Emma/Maria so that you can receive your pattern.

43.54 to 46.52 The other winners of the Big Thank you Giveaway for Episode 60

Prize winners from Episode 60:

• The Spring Collection book  Franglishcrochet
• Lisa Cook’s shawl book Carolineej

Now, I’ve had a bit of a Senior moment (I have many) and I can’t remember whether I offered 5 copies of my Winter is Coming shawl as a giveaway as well as the discount code – but I’ve chosen five winners anyhow! You should all have received a download link with the pattern from Ravelry xxx

• Atrinka
• Heathersav
• eternity21
• Monkeysmom1
• mphailey

Winners of the Patreon givewaways

• Sparkly red and green yarn Edwina Reed
• Cosy chunky yarn Janice Johnson and Betty Whittington
• Choice of any of Lisa Cook’s patterns Heidi Sporstol

46.52 – This Episode giveaways

• Everyday Wearables – the new book by The Crochet Project
• Yarndale goodies
• Lynne Rowe’s mandala book Twenty to make
• Three Twenty to Make books: Crochet flowers, crochet purses and crochet hearts

Phew – sorry for the lack of pictures in this post but I need to publish it before I get to record the next podcast! xxx Kathryn